GRG News

JAPAN: The Gerontology Research Group validates Katsugo Tago, the oldest living person in Tokyo Prefecture, the sixth-oldest living person in Japan, and the 14th world’s oldest living person.

Dear all, The Gerontology Research Group is delighted to announce the validation of Mrs. Katsugo Tago.

She was born in Japan (Nagano) on Mar. 28, 1910 and is presently living in Japan (Tokyo) at 113 years of age.

Katsugo Tago was born in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, on Mar. 28, 1910. At the time of her 113th birthday in 2023, she was the oldest resident of Tokyo Prefecture.

The case of Mrs. Katsugo Tago was verified by Robert Young, anonymous, and MHLW, Japan, and validated by the Gerontology Research Group on Sept. 16, 2023. At the time of her validation, she was the sixth oldest living person in Japan (after Fusa Tatsumi, Tomiko Itooka, Okagi Hayashi, Tane Matsubara, and Masa Matsumoto), and the oldest living resident of Tokyo Prefecture.

The Gerontology Research Group extends their thanks to the Tago family for the cooperation on the validation process.

Written by:

Wacław Jan Kroczek

Gerontology Research Group

Administrator ; Correspondent for Poland & Nordic Countries

POLAND: The Gerontology Research Group honors Jadwiga Żak-Stewart, the country’s vice-doyenne, on her 111th birthday

Dear all,

It is with great happiness that I announce the 111th birthday of Mrs. Jadwiga Żak-Stewart, the oldest resident of Łódź and the second-oldest citizen of Poland. In the name of the Gerontology Research Group, I presented her with honorary certificate and gratulations.

Mrs. Jadwiga Żak-Stewart, who is the first person in the history of the Łódź Voivodeship to live to such an age, has an extraordinary life story. In the 1980s, she decided to move to the USA, following her dreams and looking for new opportunities. This is a brave step that allowed her to get to know another country and gain new experiences.

But the love for her homeland has always been deeply rooted in Jadwiga’s heart. Therefore, at the age of one hundred, she decided to return to Poland. Not only is she an exceptional patriot, but she is also a strong woman who has been fully independent until late senility, and maintains very strong character, and sense of humor today.

Over time, Mrs. Jadwiga Żak-Stewart decided to move to a senior home, where she is surrounded by caring care and love. Thanks to this, she enjoys good health and well-being, which is certainly an important factor in reaching such an advanced age. Her story is an inspiration to all of us. It shows us that regardless of age and adversity, one can be strong and pursue their goals. Jadwiga is an example of perseverance, courage and love for the country.

All the best wishes for your 111th birthday, Mrs Jadwiga! We wish you health, joy and further amazing adventures in life. Thank you for proving to us that age is just a number and that determination and passion can lead to extraordinary achievements. Happy birthday!

Sincerely,

Waclaw Jan Kroczek

Gerontology Research Group Administrator, as well as, Correspondent for Poland (since 2013)

BRAZIL: The Gerontology Research Group honors Inah Canabarro Lucas on her 115th birthday

June 8, 2023; The Gerontology Research Group is pleased to report that Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas of Brazil has celebrated her 115th birthday in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. On that day, she was visited and honored by Dr. Angelo Jose Goncalves Bos, the newly appointed GRG Correspondent for Brazil, who presented her with special GRG plaque, recognizing her as the Oldest Living Person in South America.

According to the research by the Gerontology Research Group, Inah Canabarro Lucas is the 5th person to reach the age of 115 in South America behind Maria Capovilla of Ecuador (1889-2006), Francisca Celsa dos Santos of Brazil (1904-2021), Antonia da Santa Cruz of Brazil (1905-2022), and Casilda Benegas de Gallego of Paraguay/Argentina (1907-2022).

Inah Canabarro Lucas was born in Sao Francisco de Assis, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil on June 8, 1908. Her parents were Joao Antonio Lucas and Mariana Canabarro Lucas. She is the great-granddaughter of General David Canabarro. Her father died in combat in 1923. Canabarro Lucas studied at the Santa Teresa de Jesus boarding school in Santana do Livramento, Rio Grande do Sul. Around 1928, she moved to Montevideo, Uruguay, where she became a nun. In 1930, she returned to Brazil to teach Portuguese and mathematics at a school in Tijuca, a neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro. In the early 1940s, she moved back to Santana do Livramento where she worked as a teacher.

Canabarro Lucas currently lives in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, at the age of 115 years, 2 days. At the age of 110, she began having some mobility difficulties and had to start using a walker. On 25 January 2021, at the age of 112, she received her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, making her one of oldest people to receive the vaccine. She credits her longevity to God.

Canabarro Lucas became the oldest validated living person in Brazil following the death of Antonia da Santa Cruz on 23 January 2022. She later became the oldest validated living person in the whole of both South and Latin America following the death of Colombian Sofia Rojas on 30 July 2022.

On January 2, 2022, at the age of 113 years, 208 days, Canabarro Lucas surpassed the age of Luzia Mohrs to become the oldest Brazilian ecclesiastical person ever.

In October 2022, Canabarro Lucas contracted COVID-19 while she was hospitalized, but was later able to recover from the disease in November, making her one of the oldest known survivors of the disease.

Following the death of Lucile Randon on 17 January 2023, Canabarro Lucas became the oldest living nun in the world, as well as the fifth-oldest living person in the world whose age is validated by the GRG, after Maria Branyas Morera, Fusa Tatsumi, Edie Ceccarelli, and Tomiko Itooka.

Violet Brown (1900-2017), the World’s Oldest Person in year 2017 honored in Jamaica

June 2, 2023; The GRG Director for Supercentenarian Research and Database Division, Mr. Robert Young is delighted to report that a new monument has been erected in honor of Violet Brown (1900-2017), the WORLD’s OLDEST PERSON in year 2017. The monument is located at her home in Trelawny, Jamaica. In this town, Violet Brown was born and spent her entire life.

Violet Brown was born in Jamaica on Mar. 10, 1900. She became the WORLD’s OLDEST PERSON following the death of Emma Morano on Apr. 15, 2017 and held the title until her own death on Sept. 15, 2017 at the age of 117.

GRG Director Robert Young visited Violet Brown himself in 2015 when she was 115 years old.

Hazel Plummer (1908-2023), the oldest living person in the state of Massachusetts, and the Vice-doyenne of the USA, passes away at age 114.

May 31, 2023; The Gerontology Research Group is saddened to announce the passing of Mrs. Hazel Plummer (1908-2023), the oldest living person in the state of Massachusetts, and the second-oldest living person in the USA, on May 25, 2023 at the age of 114 years, 340 days.

Hazel Plummer was born as Hazel Kathleen Downs in Somerville, Massachusetts, USA on June 19, 1908 to Harry and Margaret (née Allison) Downs. She had one older sister, Grace, and two older brothers, Elmer and George. In 1906, before Plummer was born, George died at the age of one. Plummer grew up a street apart from her future husband, Elmer – although they didn’t know it at the time. The two married in 1935 and had at least two children, Roger and David. After the eighth grade, Plummer went to trade school to become a seamstress. She went to work for an upscale designer on Newbury Street in Boston, Massachusetts. After marrying, she raised her children while her husband worked at a steel company and then in the children’s department of a department store. The family moved to Littleton, Massachusetts in 1957, where Plummer lived until her death.

After Plummer’s father died suddenly at the age of 74, her mother lived with the family for 22 years until her mother’s death at the age of 94. After her husband’s death in January 2000, Plummer spent 17 years living in her own second-floor apartment before moving to a nursing home in Littleton, Massachusetts, when she was 109. At the time of her 110th birthday in June 2018, Plummer had six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Plummer became the oldest known living person in the state of Massachusetts following the death of 112-year-old Dorothy Brown on November 26, 2019. In January 2020, her nursing home celebrated her achievement with a special party, and she also received a message from Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker. On December 30, 2020, at the age of 112, Plummer received her first dose of the Pfizer/BionTech vaccine, making her one of the oldest known people to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Since the death of Barbara Barton on August 12, 2022, Plummer had been one of only two American people born in 1908 who was still living (the other being Edie Ceccarelli). Since the death of Bessie Hendricks on January 3, 2023, she was one of only three American-born people remaining born before 1909 who was still living (the others being Maria Branyas Morera and Ceccarelli), and one of three American-born people remaining born in the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. Plummer was the second-oldest validated living person in the United States, after Edie Ceccarelli, and the third-oldest validated living American-born person, after Maria Branyas Morera and Ceccarelli. She is also the second-oldest validated person ever from the U.S. state of Massachusetts, after Bernice Madigan. At the time of her death, Plummer ranked as the sixth-oldest living person in the world whose age is validated by the GRG, after Maria Branyas Morera, Fusa Tatsumi, Edie Ceccarelli, Tomiko Itooka, and Inah Canabarro Lucas.

Juan Vicente Perez Mora of Venezuela (b. May 27, 1909), the Guinness World Records-validated & Gerontology Research Group-validated WORLD’s OLDEST MAN turns 114.

May 27, 2023; The Gerontology Research Group is delighted to announce Juan Vicente Perez Mora of Venezuela (b. May 27, 1909), the Guinness World Records-validated & Gerontology Research Group-validated WORLD’s OLDEST MAN has celebrated his 114th birthday, becoming only the seventh validated man on record to reach this age, as well as the first validated man to reach this age since Jiroemon Kimura in 2011.

Juan Vicente Perez Mora was born in El Cobre, Tachira, Venezuela on May 27, 1909. His parents were Euquitio Perez and Edelmira Mora. In 1913, his family moved to Caserio Caricuena, San Jose de Bolivar, where they bought a farm. At the age of four, he already had eight brothers. While growing up, Perez Mora worked on the farm with his father and brothers. At the age of 10, he began to study, but only for a month since his teacher became ill. He learned to read and write from a book that the teacher gave him. His brother, Miguel, lived in the nearby village of Los Paujiles, and Perez Mora started working for him. There he met Ediofina Garcia and married her in San Jose de Bolivar in 1938. After marriage, they moved to the village of Los Paujiles in the municipality of Francisco de Miranda, Tachira, where their first son was born. In next years he saved enough money and bought a farm in Caserio Caricuena, where the rest of his children were born. The couple had six sons and five daughters. In the late 1990s, Perez Mora’s wife died. In May 2019, he celebrated his 110th birthday, becoming the first (known) male supercentenarian from Venezuela. As of May 2020, six of his children were still alive, three sons (Ysabelino, Angel Edecio, and Andronico) and three daughters (Mary, Elena, and Nelida).

On January 18, 2022, after the death of 112-year-old Saturnino de la Fuente Garcia of Spain, Perez Mora became the ‘Oldest Living Man in the World‘ titleholder, which was later confirmed by Guinness World Records in May 2022. Perez Mora became the last known surviving man born in the 1900s decade after the death of 112-year-old Delio Venturotti on June 1, 2022.

Juan Vicente Perez Mora currently lives in San Jose de Bolivar, Tachira, Venezuela. He is currently the second-oldest validated living person in Latin America, behind Inah Canabarro Lucas. Additionally, he is the oldest validated South American man ever, the second-oldest Latin American man ever (behind Emiliano Mercado del Toro), and the seventh-oldest living person in the world whose age is validated by the GRG, after Maria Branyas Morera, Fusa Tatsumi, Edie Ceccarelli, Tomiko Itooka, Inah Canabarro Lucas, and Ushi Makishi.

Nina Willis (1909-2023), the oldest living African-American passes away at the age of 114

May 21, 2023; The Gerontology Research Group is saddened to announce the passing of Mrs. Nina Willis (1909-2023), the oldest living African-American person, on May 17, 2023 at the age of 114 years, 123 days.

Nina Willis was born on 14 January 1909 in Robinson, Georgia, USA, and grew up in the town working as a farmer. She was the 13th out of 20 children. One of her brothers, Bethuel Frazier (1902–2011), lived to the age of 109, making them one of the oldest sibling pairs on record. In 1947, she moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where she did domestic work and worked in Kessler’s Department Store. She was married to Charles Willis, and the couple did not have any children. Willis lived in a retirement home in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. She still watched baseball and basketball whenever there were games on TV, and read the newspaper every day. Her caretaker was her sister, Pecola Kirby, with whom she was very close.

Willis had been the oldest known living person in the state of Georgia since the death of Willie Mae Hardy on 11 December 2019.

Since the death of Bessie Hendricks on 3 January 2023, Willis was one of only three people living in the United States that were born in the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, the other two being Edie Ceccarelli, and Hazel Plummer. However, Maria Branyas Morera was born in the United States before all three of these supercentenarians, but lives in Spain.

At the time of her death, Willis was the third-oldest validated living person in the United States (after Edie Ceccarelli and Hazel Plummer), and the fourth-oldest validated living American-born person (after Maria Branyas Morera, Ceccarelli, and Plummer). She was also the seventh-oldest living person in the world whose age is validated by the GRG.

Nina WIllis’s age was verified by Robert D. Young, Waclaw Jan Kroczek, and Oliver Thorpe, and validated by the GRG on January 4, 2023.

The Gerontology Research Group validates 117-year old Delphia Welford (1875-1992) of Humboldt, Tennessee, as the African-American Longevity Recordholder of the United States of America.

Apr. 29, 2023; The Gerontology Research Group is delighted to announce the validation of Mrs. Delphia Welford of Humboldt, Tennessee, USA. Following one of the most thoroughful and careful examination using multiple pieces of evidence and documentation spanning from her early life until 1992, we recognize that Delphia Welford was 117 years old. The investigation of her age, which had begun as early as in 2016, and even earlier than that – along with the American SSA Study, proves beyond reasonable doubt that Delphia Welford had been born in Okolona, Chickasaw County, Mississippi, on Sept. 9, 1875, had one son Leo Henry Mathis (1896-1966), moved to Humboldt, Gibson County, Tennessee along with the rest of her family before 1900, and died in Humboldt on Nov. 14, 1992, at the age of 117 years, 66 days.
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Delphia Welford was originally among Social Security Administration study cases, conducted by Bert Kestenbaum and B. Renee Ferguson. The case re-emerged in 2016 with the work of our most respected GRG Correspondent for Greece, Mr. Ilias Leivaditis, who was the first to lay down hypothesis that Delphia Welford may have been much older than her later life claim. Subsequent research provided only more evidence in support of this.
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The validation of Delphia Welford changes the history of American longevity, as, in the light of the GRG revelations, she has been:

the Oldest Living American (following the death of 112-year old Orpha Nusbaum on Mar. 30, 1988 until her own death on Nov. 14, 1992). This means the status of the Oldest Living American was never shared by Elzona Maxey (1875-1988), Alphaeus Philemon Cole (1876-1988), Birdie May Vogt (1876-1989), and Ettie Mae Greene (1977-1992), who until 2023 were believed to consecutively hold the title). Following Delphia Welford’s death, the status of Oldest Living American was inherited by Margaret Skeete (1878-1994).
the Longevity Recordholder of the USA (surpassing Augusta Holtz in 1990; until her age was surpassed by Sarah Knauss in 1998)
the African-American Longevity Recordholder for the USA (replacing Susannah Mushatt Jones (1899-2016), with her age being chronologically unrepeated for the next 31+ years)
the oldest person to have been born in Mississippi (replacing Betty Wilson (1890-2006) and Susie Gibson (1890-2006))
the third person in history to eclipse the lifespan of 115 years (behind Augusta Holtz and Jeanne Calment)
the second person in history to eclipse the lifespan of 116 and 117 years (behind Jeanne Calment)

The detailed report on the case validation of Delphia Welford will be presented at the supercentenarian seminar in Paris later this year.

Waclaw Jan Kroczek, Oliver Trim, & Robert Young

Gerontology Research Group

The Gerontology Research Group validates Ophelia Burks (1903-2018) as the Oldest American and longevity record-holder of Louisiana

Mar. 18, 2023 ; The Gerontology Research Group is delighted to announce the validation of Mrs. Ophelia Burks of Haughton, Louisiana, USA. She was born in Haughton, Bossier Parish, Louisiana, USA on Oct. 25, 1903. She never graduated from the primary school as her family didn’t had enough money to buy a school supplies for each of their children. She married a local farmer, Prince Burks who died in 1989 at the age of 94. The couple had five children. She worked for 50 cents a day during the Great Depression. Ophelia Burks died in Haughton, Louisiana, USA, on September 27, 2018, at the age of 114 years, 337 days.

Burks’s age was verified by Robert Young, Waclaw Jan Kroczek, Johnnie Johnson, Shirley Johns, Anri Kusaku, and Oliver Trim, and validated by the GRG on 7 January 2020. Her validation was an extremely difficult task, and the best of GRG experts took part in it. After almost two years of research, the material amassed on Ophelia Burks case was fit on 85 pages of validation document. The GRG experts looked deep into the family’s history, trying to solve all the puzzles and leave as few blank spots as possible. Despite the difficulty, the evidence obtained was enough to conclude the validation process as meeting the modern scientific age validation criteria.

The validation of Ophelia Burks recognizes her folowing statuses:

The Oldest Living American (following the death of Delphine Gibson on May 9, 2018 until Sept. 27, 2018.
The oldest person in the history of Louisiana (previous record-holder Maggie Renfro (1895-2010)
The last surviving American person born in 1903

Maria Branyas Morera, the World’s Oldest Person, celebrates her 116th birthday

Mar. 4, 2023; Maria Branyas Morera has turned 116 in her residence in Olot, Catalonia, Spain. Branyas became the world’s oldest person in January following the death of French nun Lucile Randon at 118. She automatically inherited the title according to a calculation that has been compiled for over 20 years by the Gerontological Research Group of Guinness World Records. She was born on March 4, 1907 in San Francisco, California. She survived the First and Second World Wars and the Spanish Civil War. She came to Catalonia as a child. She lived in Barcelona, Banyoles, Girona, Calonge, and Sant Antoni i Palol de Revardit. In 1931, she married Joan Moret, a doctor from Llagostera in Gironès.

For about 20 years, Branyas has lived in the Santa Maria del Tura Residence in Olot. There, in May 2020, she broke another record: at the age of 113, she became the oldest person in the world to survive Covid-19 infection. Her age was officially validated by the Gerontology Research Group on June 28, 2021.

According to the research by the Gerontology Research Group, Maria Branyas Morera is the 26th person in modern history to eclipse the lifespan of 116 years, and the ninth to do so in Europe.

Josefine Ollmann (1908-2022) becomes the oldest validated supercentenarian in Germany

Feb. 13, 2023; The Gerontology Research Group is honored, following the splendid research action by our GRG-Germany Team and after cordial cooperation with the family, to announce the validation of Mrs. Josefine Ollmann of Itzehoe, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, who, being older than previously validated longevity record holder of Germany, Mrs. Maria Laqua (1889-2002), is to be considered the new oldest person in Germany’s history.

Josefine Ollmann was born in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire (now Bavaria, Germany) on 11 November 1908. Her father was an engineer, so the family often moved to other places like the Netherlands, Upper Silesia, and Berlin. She had a younger brother. Ollmann’s 10th birthday in 1918 occured the same day World War I ended. When she finished university in Wittenberg, Ollmann was the top of the class. She got an apprenticeship as a laborant, and worked at the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut in Berlin. Ollmann married a lawyer in 1939. The couple had two children, a son and a daughter. After World War II, they fled from Greifswald to Kellinghusen in order to escape the Red Army. Her husband died in 1952.

Ollmann run a diary and played Scrabble until the age of 100. She lived in her own house until the age of 107. On 30 January 2022, at the age of 113 years, 80 days, Ollmann surpassed the age of Mathilde Mange, becoming the oldest woman ever to live in Germany. Beforehand, she surpassed the age of Maria Laqua, then the oldest validated supercentenarian in Germany. In February 2022, she survived COVID-19, making her one of the oldest known survivors of the disease, as well as the oldest person in Germany who contracted and recovered from the disease.

Josefine Ollmann died on 16 July 2022 in a retirement home in Itzehoe, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, at the age of 113 years, 247 days. At the time of her death, she had four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Josefine Ollmann was the oldest living person in Germany between years 2020-2022 and she was the last surviving German person born in 1908.

Her age was verified by the GRG-Germany Correspondents’ Team: Stefan Jamin, Ulrich Koch, and Thomas Breining, and validated by the GRG on 13 February 2023.

Tamara Krutikov (1912-2022), becomes the first validated supercentenarian in the history of Serbia

Feb. 12, 2023; The Gerontology Research Group is honored to announce the validation of Mrs. Tamara Krutikov (1912-2022) of Serbia. We take the pleasure to emphasize that the GRG Team has made the significant step forward into learning the history of longevity of a completely new country, until today a virgin territory in the study. Mrs. Tamara Krutikov is the first validated supercentenarian in Serbia by the modern age validation criteria. Furthermore, she is the third validated supercentenarian born in present-day Ukraine, behind Goldie Michelson (validated in 2015) and Tekla Juniewicz (validated in 2018). The validation is a beautiful example of cooperation between researchers and family members, as well as openness to engage into international research effort which was concluded in full success. This research achievement done by Messrs. Dejan Vujic, Boris Vlchek, and Igor Bashyrov even upon the ongoing war in Ukraine. The maximum research effort done by these gentlemen is very appreciated.

Krutikov was born in Yekaterinoslav, Russian Empire (present-day Dnipro, Ukraine) on 27 March 1912. She had no brothers and sisters, she was an only child. When she was 7 years old, she left Ukraine with her parents and moved to Turkey, soon to the island of Kınalıada and then to Serbia, where she later married and started a family. Together with her husband Nikolaj, she had three daughters: Natalia (1941), Irina (1946) and Zinaida (1950). Until she was 94, she lived alone, later her daughter Zinaida returned from Russia to take care of her. By nationality she was Russian. She was a professor of music and French, played the piano and played tennis. She spoke Russian, French, Greek, Turkish, Macedonian, English and Serbian. She died in Belgrade on July 6, 2022 at the age of 110 years, 101 days.

Edith “Edie” Ceccarelli, celebrates her 115th birthday.

Feb. 5, 2023; The Gerontology Research Group is honored to report the 115th birthday of Mrs. Edith “Edie” Ceccarelli, a resident of Willits, Mendocino County, in the state of California, USA.

Mrs. Ceccarelli was born in Willits, California, USA, on February 5, 1908. She was the first of seven children born to Italian immigrants Agostino and Maria Recagno. She married Elmer “Brick” Keenan and moved to Santa Rosa, California, where he worked as a pressman for the Santa Rosa Democrat. When he retired after 36 years, the couple returned to Willits. After her husband’s death in 1984, she married Charles Ceccarelli in 1986. He died in 1990. At the time of her 110th birthday, Ceccarelli lived in Willits, California. She lived in her own home until the age of 107, after which she moved into a senior living facility. She became a supercentenarian in February 2018, and celebrated her 111th birthday in February 2019. She was still capable of walking with the aid of a walker as of her 114th birthday in 2022. At the beginning of 2022, Edith Ceccarelli was the second-oldest validated living person in California (behind Mila Mangold), the fourth-oldest validated living person in the United States (behind Bessie Hendricks, Mila Mangold, and Irene Dunham), and the second-oldest validated person ever born in California (behind Maria Branyas Morera).

Mrs. Ceccarelli’s age was validated by the Gerontology Research Group on Mar. 16, 2022. Following the death of 115-year old Bessie Hendricks of Iowa, Edie Ceccarelli became the oldest living person in the USA. On Feb. 5, 2023, she celebrated her 115th birthday.

Read the whole story under the following link.

Maria Branyas Morera, 115, confirmed as the World’s Oldest Person

Jan. 20, 2023; The Gerontology Research Group is honored to announce that following the death of 118-year-old sister Lucile Randon, the new oldest living person in the world is Mrs. Maria Branyas Morera (born March 4, 1907 ) from Olot, Spain.

Maria Branyas Morera was born on March 4, 1907 in San Francisco, California, USA. Her family emigrated to San Francisco in 1906. Later they went to New Orleans, from where in 1915 she went to Olot, Catalonia, Spain. Her father, Joseph Branyas Julia, died of pulmonary tuberculosis at the age of 37, leaving her mother to raise a family of five alone. Maria married in 1931 and had three children. In 2000, at the age of 93, Branyas Morera moved to a nursing home in Olot, where she still lives today.

According to GRG research, she is the second person in Spanish history to reach the age of 115.

Lucile Randon, 118, World’s Oldest Person, dies

Jan. 18, 2023; The Gerontology Research Group is saddened to announce the passing of Lucile Randon (sister Andre), 118, the GWR-validated and GRG-validated World’s Oldest Living Person.

Lucile Randon took her religious vows in 1944, taking the name Andre, and joined the Sisters of Charity (maison des Filles de la charité on rue du Bac in Paris). During World War II, she served as a governess and teacher in various homes. After the war, she worked for 28 years in a hospital in Vichy with orphans and the elderly. Since 2009, she has been living in Toulon in a nursing home for the elderly.

On October 19, 2017, after the death of Honorine Rondello, she became the oldest living person in France.

On June 2, 2019, at the age of 115 years and 111 days, she became the oldest consecrated person in history, taking over this title from the nun Marie-Josephine Gaudette, who died in 2017.

On June 18, 2019, after the death of the Italian Maria Giuseppa Robucci-Nargiso, Lucile Randon became, at the age of 115 years and 127 days, the second oldest living person in the world (after Kane Tanaka) and the oldest in Europe.

On January 16, 2021, she was diagnosed with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. She underwent the illness asymptomatically and, a few days before her 117th birthday, became the oldest person in the world to survive this infection.

On February 11, 2022, as the fourth person in history (behind Jeanne Calment, Sarah Knauss and Kane Tanaka), Lucile Randon turned 118 years old.

On April 19, 2022, after the death of Japanese woman Kane Tanaka, she became the oldest living person in the world.